So, the rule is now if you are winning by X number of runs, you dont swing at a ball 4? Since when? That is utter BS. Especially with the idiot throwing at him. Gregg wanted to hit Papi, and Papi has to follow some rule? Those rules went out the window when Gregg tried to hit him.

OK, so the Orioles stink so bad, we won't swing at any pitches if we are winning. Just stand there, let them try and hit you, and then walk to first.

So, the rule is now if you are winning by X number of runs, you dont swing at a ball 4? Since when? That is utter BS. Especially with the idiot throwing at him. Gregg wanted to hit Papi, and Papi has to follow some rule? Those rules went out the window when Gregg tried to hit him. OK, so the Orioles stink so bad, we won't swing at any pitches if we are winning. Just stand there, let them try and hit you, and then walk to first. For the love of mankind and baseball, where are your KAHONIES!!?!?!Posted by soxmeister

It's a competitive world in mlb. Gregg did absolutely the right thing. Nobody hits Ortiz and he is hitting extremely well. Just camping there waiting for that inside pitch. Opposing teams need to move him off the plate or they are generally going to lose.

Ortiz is a big friendly guy everyone likes. No one wants to hit him but they have to back him off the plate or he is going to keep putting up huge numbers.

The Orioles are in a huge slide and the season is basically over if they don't start getting their competitive juices going. That was a good place to start.

Showalter has been all show since day one. I've never liked that guy or respected him as a manager.

Nick who? And just what has he ever done in MLB other than read those pesky "unwritten rules"? If they're unwritten, how does the Chowdah Head know about them?

As for Gregg, what's his angle on Papi? Too bad his athleticism is relagater to a few innings a week on a losng team. Does Mr Gregg realize that his Band of Brothers are DFL in the AL East? Perhaps they should FINALLY petition MLB and the commish to put them in a league where they MAY have a moderate opportunity to succeed, like the NY Rookie League.

To the Boys of Baltimore: Shut the lips and GET BETTER! Quitchyerbichin and start playing like pros! It's embarrassing to known that the last time your team was relevent in any manner was the Bush administration. That's GHW 41.

What I found interesting about the whole thing was that Showalter was invloved with discussions with the umps but Francona was nowhere to be found. Im sorry, but if the opposing manager is having a llengthly discussion with the umps, I'd be darn sure to be out there so i can hear it!Posted by Alibiike

Wins dumbest tito bashing post of the season. Come on When do umps ever talk to both managers at the same time especially after a fight

Enough of this crap story, bottom line, the only reason Ortiz swung 3-0 is because Gregg tried to hit him 3 times and missed. I wouldve swung as well. Bush league is calling yourself a pitcher and not being able to hit a big target in 3 tries. get over it Markakis.

Ha... even if that was true and its not, so throwing inside 3 times to brush someone off the plate when its 10 -3 in the late innings is not bush?? Only in your world does that make sense. Beantowne had it spot on!!

From WEEI There are loads and loads of unwritten rules in baseball, especially in blowouts. Nick Markakis thinks David Ortiz broke one of those Friday night in the swing off a 3-0 pitch from Kevin Gregg that precipitated the bench-clearing brawl between the Red Sox and Orioles at Fenway Park. “I like the guy, I like Ortiz,” Markakis began. “I respect the way he plays the game but I think it was a little bush league, bottom of the eighth, two outs, up by six, swinging 3-0. I don’t think we were hitting anybody intentionally there. But if it’s got to come down to that, it’s got to come down to it. “We’re in it as a team. He knows how to play the game. I think he’s going to look back on it and realize that he screwed up there but what happened, happened and it’s over.” Markakis said he didn’t understand Ortiz charging Gregg, even after Gregg had words for him. “Yeah, I don’t understand why he went after him,” the Orioles right fielder said. “It’s 3-0 pitch, two outs and you have a guy tagging up and a guy swinging at a 3-0 pitch in a six-run game. It doesn’t make sense. He knows the game better than that. Put us on their side and them on our side, it’s a little bush league. Like I said, I’m sure he’s going to look back and realize he made a mistake, charging our pitcher, regardless of what was said.” What was said was what started the brawl between Gregg and Ortiz. After hitting a fly ball to center fielder Adam Jones on the fourth pitch, Ortiz, who did not speak to the media after the game, was verbally challenged by Gregg as he made his way up the first base line. “Play the game, play the game,” Gregg said. “This is part of the game is pitching in, play the game, get in the [batter's] box. He has the right to do whatever he wants. If he doesn’t like something, he has the right to come out there. That’s the way it works. “I said, ‘You’re up seven runs. You hit a weak fly ball and run, run the bases and play the game right.’ He didn’t like it.” Markakis believes this will light a fire under the hapless Orioles, who have been annihilated, 20-7, in the first two games combines and have given up double figures in runs in four of their last five, getting outscored, 50-18, in the process. “If you ask me, this happened in the right spot at the right time. But we still have two games left with these guys and several more games after the break. We’re going to see them. We’re going to get our opportunities and they’re going to get their opportunities and we’ll just see how it works out.” The Red Sox will play two more this weekend against the Orioles before facing the Birds at Camden Yards July 18-20. Zach Britton was Friday’s culprit for the Birds, allowing eight runs on six hits while retiring just two batters Friday. “There’s no reason we’re trying to hit him,” Britton said. “We’re getting our butt kicked. We’re not trying to hit him. That’s what you get. Big Papi. He is what he is, and that’s what happens.” Britton said Friday was good for one thing – team chemistry. “Right now, it’s great,” Britton said. “Not to say this is what baseball is about, but it I think it kind of brought us a little closer so hopefully, we go out and start playing some good baseball next two days. It starts with the starting pitchers so we need to kind of pull our head out of our butt and start doing something or we won’t be here very long.” Back to Gregg, he said he had every right to pitch inside on three straight pitches that preceded the pop fly to center. “He’s been leaning out over the plate the whole series, and he does all the time,” Gregg said. “I’m going to pitch in to be able to get him out. He disliked it. That’s part of the game. He doesn’t have to like it but I’m going to pitch in there to get him out. Apparently, he thought I was throwing at him but if I was going to throw at him, I would’ve hit him. If I was going to throw at a guy, I’m going to hit the guy, I’m not going to miss him. I believe I can hit a guy if I want to, and I wasn’t trying to hit him. I was trying to pitch in and get him out.” Orioles manager Buck Showalter applauded his pitcher for his effort to lay claim to the inner part of the plate. “You can’t let any team sit out there and do that and that’s the way Kevin pitches. I hope other guys take notice that you can’t constantly let people get extended and feel real confident,” said Showalter. “It is a game played by passionate men and they care about what they are doing. I’m sure [Gregg] took some exception to swinging 3-0 there and I’m sure [Ortiz] took exception of [Gregg] trying to pitch him in. “It’s part of the game and there are lot of things that led up to that that some people don’t really notice but we do. We responded the right way and we’ll move on tomorrow. We’ve been wounded and some things happen out there that kind of wake up wounded people so let’s see what happens.”Posted by fir.eballer58

From WEEI There are loads and loads of unwritten rules in baseball, especially in blowouts. Nick Markakis thinks David Ortiz broke one of those Friday night in the swing off a 3-0 pitch from Kevin Gregg that precipitated the bench-clearing brawl between the Red Sox and Orioles at Fenway Park. “I like the guy, I like Ortiz,” Markakis began. “I respect the way he plays the game but I think it was a little bush league, bottom of the eighth, two outs, up by six, swinging 3-0. I don’t think we were hitting anybody intentionally there. But if it’s got to come down to that, it’s got to come down to it. “We’re in it as a team. He knows how to play the game. I think he’s going to look back on it and realize that he screwed up there but what happened, happened and it’s over.” Markakis said he didn’t understand Ortiz charging Gregg, even after Gregg had words for him. “Yeah, I don’t understand why he went after him,” the Orioles right fielder said. “It’s 3-0 pitch, two outs and you have a guy tagging up and a guy swinging at a 3-0 pitch in a six-run game. It doesn’t make sense. He knows the game better than that. Put us on their side and them on our side, it’s a little bush league. Like I said, I’m sure he’s going to look back and realize he made a mistake, charging our pitcher, regardless of what was said.” What was said was what started the brawl between Gregg and Ortiz. After hitting a fly ball to center fielder Adam Jones on the fourth pitch, Ortiz, who did not speak to the media after the game, was verbally challenged by Gregg as he made his way up the first base line. “Play the game, play the game,” Gregg said. “This is part of the game is pitching in, play the game, get in the [batter's] box. He has the right to do whatever he wants. If he doesn’t like something, he has the right to come out there. That’s the way it works. “I said, ‘You’re up seven runs. You hit a weak fly ball and run, run the bases and play the game right.’ He didn’t like it.” Markakis believes this will light a fire under the hapless Orioles, who have been annihilated, 20-7, in the first two games combines and have given up double figures in runs in four of their last five, getting outscored, 50-18, in the process. “If you ask me, this happened in the right spot at the right time. But we still have two games left with these guys and several more games after the break. We’re going to see them. We’re going to get our opportunities and they’re going to get their opportunities and we’ll just see how it works out.” The Red Sox will play two more this weekend against the Orioles before facing the Birds at Camden Yards July 18-20. Zach Britton was Friday’s culprit for the Birds, allowing eight runs on six hits while retiring just two batters Friday. “There’s no reason we’re trying to hit him,” Britton said. “We’re getting our butt kicked. We’re not trying to hit him. That’s what you get. Big Papi. He is what he is, and that’s what happens.” Britton said Friday was good for one thing – team chemistry. “Right now, it’s great,” Britton said. “Not to say this is what baseball is about, but it I think it kind of brought us a little closer so hopefully, we go out and start playing some good baseball next two days. It starts with the starting pitchers so we need to kind of pull our head out of our butt and start doing something or we won’t be here very long.” Back to Gregg, he said he had every right to pitch inside on three straight pitches that preceded the pop fly to center. “He’s been leaning out over the plate the whole series, and he does all the time,” Gregg said. “I’m going to pitch in to be able to get him out. He disliked it. That’s part of the game. He doesn’t have to like it but I’m going to pitch in there to get him out. Apparently, he thought I was throwing at him but if I was going to throw at him, I would’ve hit him. If I was going to throw at a guy, I’m going to hit the guy, I’m not going to miss him. I believe I can hit a guy if I want to, and I wasn’t trying to hit him. I was trying to pitch in and get him out.” Orioles manager Buck Showalter applauded his pitcher for his effort to lay claim to the inner part of the plate. “You can’t let any team sit out there and do that and that’s the way Kevin pitches. I hope other guys take notice that you can’t constantly let people get extended and feel real confident,” said Showalter. “It is a game played by passionate men and they care about what they are doing. I’m sure [Gregg] took some exception to swinging 3-0 there and I’m sure [Ortiz] took exception of [Gregg] trying to pitch him in. “It’s part of the game and there are lot of things that led up to that that some people don’t really notice but we do. We responded the right way and we’ll move on tomorrow. We’ve been wounded and some things happen out there that kind of wake up wounded people so let’s see what happens.”Posted by fir.eballer58

Ortiz would not have swung on 3-0 had Gregg not tried to repeatedly hit him.